Fate In Flame
by Night Phoenix Whisper
Summary: Ash, smoke, and heat, all a result of fire. It can take away and destroy or it remove the old and help sustain something better. Whichever that fate decided would be the result. When we went in to save Karai, we went in by our own choice. Coming out on the other hand... Well fate decided that and it chose to kick us in the teeth. It just kicked me harder, leader or not.


****Disclaimer : Dont own TMNT though wish i did, but then again, alot of us do. lol  
****

 ** **T rating for right now but rating may change.****

 **Author's Note : Starts off the same way as Vengeance is Mine from the 2012 series but diverts from the episode and beyond. This story has some dark and "heavy" content, not limited to but include severe injuries and blood.**

 **Would like to give special thanks to Glazier Blue for helping me get started with this story, Masked Timelord for helping with this and the next two chapters and my awesome beta for the extensive help so far. Also would like to thank Silver Sentinel and jgrasper22 for their input.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

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 **It's dark the night is cold  
**

 **I feel the chill and ask myself why**

 **Why I couldn't I see that it was to late for me**

 **Tears on my cheek putting a stain in my face**

 **There's nothing to do nothing to change**

 **I'm tumbling down**

 **You've been fading away since yesterday**

 **But the fool in me want so bad to turn back the time**

 **Where did I go wrong**

 **I never sensed the truth**

 **Believe in me**

 **The darkest age has just begun - Darkest Age, Renegade Five**

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 **Fate In Flame**

 **Prologue**

Leo POV

It was supposed to be a simple plan. Get in, grab Karai, and get out. But as usual, nothing ever goes as planned. Not with our luck anyway. Had I have known how bad things were going to go tonight, I may have tried going alone. At least I would have been sure that most of my family was safe.

We may have followed Shredder and his men to Stockman's lab but when we got there, there was no sign of them. By the time we found any of them, to our horror we saw Karai hanging above a vat of mutagen. _'Is this what Shredder does to people he cares for?'_ We saw him. Tiger Claw, Rhazar, and Stockman were waiting in various sections of the room but he was just standing there with muscles that looked so taut, they were nearly bulging. He simply gestured to the struggling girl above him.

"Come and get your foolish girl. I am finished with her." He sneered in the cold bitter voice we all knew so well.

I couldn't see his face for the mask but his body language looked a little too relaxed for my liking. However, all Master Splinter saw was Karai. In a heart beat he was running toward the tank in a attempt to reach her, only to be attacked by foot bots. On our way in, we had taken out a few. But to think that those few posted as sentries were all of them... we were so wrong. Hundreds of them appeared out of no where. They looked like a mass of spiders on the attack of one fly, only this time the fly wasn't Stockman. They had been ready for us.

They came from all around and from above as they sprang for us, causing us to spread out to avoid the incoming blows. I only had a split second to bring my swords up as one Foot bot swung his sword at me. Out of reflex I had my katanas up and blocked the blow before kicking him back. Swinging my blades, I sliced the bot in half and swiftly turned around to face another one.

I took the chance during a momentary break in the fight to look around. Master Splinter in a jam of his own. Using his walking stick with grace and precision he struck one Foot bot in the center of the stomach, and back kicked another in the head, knocking it from its neck.

For each one Splinter took down, five more blocked his path. Then ropes sprang out like spider webs wrapping around him. In moments he was bound, forced down onto his knees struggling the whole time. Without any hesitation, we all ran to his aid. Some of the bots had already calculated our actions and intercepted us... _'That was what they had wanted us to do. Oh shell!'_

The rest of us swiftly tackled the oncoming waves, slicing and dicing the ones in front of us. They didn't seem to be trying to take us down though, only push us back, as though coaxing us. Just after I took a step back, a rush of wind passed my thigh. A chill ran through me at how close the timing was. From above, there must've been at least twenty Foot bots with bows shooting down at us, which prompted us to continue moving back to evade the oncoming fire.

I heard a yelp from Donnie and turned just in time to see a box like cage suddenly spring up around him like a mouse trap, snapping and locking shut! The bots had been pushing us back to the marked spots. The archers shooting in certain spots to make us just jump in a certain way to avoid them.

Mikey and Raph kept jumping away from the arrows. They didn't even realize what had happened until they saw the bars around them, only leaving me a fraction longer to think. As the cage closed around on me, I whipped out my swords blocking the latch from snapping shut before forcing the spring back open. After that it was as though I was on automatic pilot. I just ran towards Karai.

I sliced a chain and used it to leap up on top of the iron frame holding her, quickly removing the gag from her mouth. The look in her eyes, I knew she was happy to see me and I couldn't help but smile back. For one stupid moment, I actually thought things were going to be alright.

I was just about to free her when I heard my father's warning call. It all happened so fast. I saw Shredder almost gliding through the air aiming for my head. _'This had been a trap and Karai had been the bait.'_

Instinctively I ducked before losing my grip on the chain. Had I have known where Shredder's blade was going to land... I would have taken the blow. He sliced the chain that had been holding up the iron frame. As I fell onto the ground, I heard her scream... but it was to late. Karai had ended up in the mutagen! I looked up just in time to see her human hand clawing from the inside of the glass. Then she was gone... replaced by something...'scaly' swimming by. My heart stopped and I knew everyone else in the room did too. For one cataclysmic moment you could hear a pin drop as all attention was on the tank. _'What had I done? What the hell had we done?!'_

"Miwa!" Splinter screamed.

"Karai, NOOOO!" Shredder's shriek shook me to my core. He was beyond furious. In his voice, as evident as the anger was... sorrow was mixed in with it, or whatever passed for sorrow within his warped brain anyway. Clearly this hadn't been Shredders objective either. She had just been bait.

More mutagen splashed everywhere as Karai... or what was left of her, forced her way up and out of the tank. I couldn't help but stare as she then slithered and dropped out of the tank. Splinter broke free, rushing to catch her before she hit the ground.

"My child." I heard him say. His ears flattened as he looked upon his daughter's painfully twisted body... Her lighter, much longer, scaly jagged body... A snake! The natural enemy of the rat. Shredder was so cruel.

For a moment she was motionless as she tried to comprehend what had happened. She must have been in such pain. But just as Splinter turned her over, she started lashing out with her new tail attacking him. Almost as fast, she slowed down panting hard. Being hopeful, father took a cautious step toward her. Having caught her breath, she went back to attacking Splinter. He was trying to talk to calm her while dodging her swinging tail and nipping fangs which only caught air but it was obvious she didn't remember him or us.

"Leo! Leo, wake up!" All of my attention being on Karai and Splinter, it took a minute before I heard Donnie. A few seconds longer just to get to my feet so I could free him, prying my katanas into the hinges and using them like crowbars to open the bars. We had to get out of here. Frantically we both worked to try and open Raph and Mikey's cages. While opening the cages, Foot bots swarmed around us once more until all we saw around us was black and silver. We tried pushing our way through but there were so many... So many more than there seemed to be before. I didn't realize it but in the process of pushing out of the cluster of foot bots, several of them had worked their way between us. Raph was a little ways from me before I got to the last few that were blocking my path. Easily cutting them down, I started toward Splinter but when he saw me, the look in his eyes was clear. That I should help out my brothers.

But I was so lost in thought, I didn't notice that I was completely alone. My brothers nowhere in sight, still somewhere among the foot bots. Heck, I hadn't even noticed that a fire had broke out around us until I heard the small explosions. A roar from the other side of the room turned my attention away from my father and sister.

"You! You did this!" I turned to see blazing eyes taking a step in my direction and I thanked whatever forces were out there that looks could not kill. But sadly looks wasn't all I had to contend with. "I will end you!" That was the only warning I got before he charged. In seconds Shredder was practically on top of me.

Swift on the defensive, I blocked his first gauntlet but he had already moved around my swords before I could counter his other arm. His second gauntlet had been plunged deep into my left shoulder and the air ripped out of me. My swords clattering to the cement filled my ears as the burning pain radiated throughout my shoulder, blood started to ooze from the wound as a piercing cry came out of me to the point that the air was robbed of me. Greedily I tried to take the air back into my lungs as he pushed my plastron back a few inches. It was all I could do to keep from screaming out once more. Paying attention to their own fights, nobody seemed to have noticed that I was in trouble. Time just seemed to slow down and Shredder's eyes that were full with malice poured into me as fast as the blood flowing out. "I haven't even started with you yet turtle." He sneered leaning closer, pressing the blades back in even deeper.

"Hamato Yoshi! You mutated my daughter! You've taken her from me again. I shall avenge her by taking one of yours." He screamed to Splinter but he was looking at me as he said this.

"No!" I heard father yell out. From the look on Shredder's face, I could tell that there was no way that father could get to me in time. _'Was Shredder insane? We hadn't done this to her!'_ But I couldn't really bring myself to say anything. His eyes were like fire. As though he was trying to burn a second hole into me just with his stare alone. Instead he twisted his blades a inch around into my skin and every word in my throat choked me. Then I just wanted to vomit them up as he shifted his position. His other gauntlet came down abruptly onto the blades that were holding me in place, snapping them away from his hand. He tossed me back as rough as he could, discarding me as though I was a piece of garbage. Unable to hold it back any longer I let out a scream before I collapsed onto the concrete.

As I lay there on my side, the pool of blood beside me only grew. The shiny metal was easy to spot in the blood. What portion that was sticking out looked to be enough to wrap my hand around each blade. I was about to reach toward it but before I could, a loud boom filled the air. Startled, I looked around for my family. My gaze found Raph forcing his way through the edge of the ring of robots.

Knowing Raph, he'll never admit it but the sight of me laying on the ground in a pool of my own blood must've really scared him because he ran his fist through the chest cavity of one before throwing it against the last three in his way. "LEO!" He cried out charging in my direction but Shredder was there blocking him before he could even get halfway over to me.

"You can't help him. I have claimed his life in trade of Karai's."

"Like hell ya have!" My hot headed brother snapped and tried jumping in the air to roundhouse Shredder's head before jumping off his shoulder toward me again but Shredder caught Raph's ankle at the last second and threw him back.

"Pathetic attempt, turtle." There was no mistaking the nonchalantness in Shredder's voice.

"Whatever, ya are still going down!"

"Tough talk but look at your brother, you can't win. Both of you will meet your end along with the rest of your pathetic family. Rhazar, finish him!" He said pointing at me before turning his remaining gauntlet blades upon Raph.

Next thing I knew, I was on my back looking up at the large mutant dog. "My pleasure." He said with a twisted and sickening smirk. I tried yelling at Raph to run but as soon as I opened my mouth, Rhazar's foot slammed down on top of me, pressing smack on where the blades were sticking out of my shoulder. I couldn't stop the scream from being torn out of my throat.

"LEO!"

That got everyone's attention that time. The pain was so intense... _'Was he actually attempting to cut my arm off?!'_ I was going to pass out but anger coursed through my veins. _'Did Rhazar think that I was just gonna let him do so?'_ I drew my legs up and slammed my heels deep into his chest. He went crashing against the mutagen tank. At first, the impact didn't seem to damage the tank.

Leaning up too fast, my shoulder jerked forward but I didn't seem to feel the pain any more. I didn't want to even imagine the pain that was waiting for me later, but right now I just couldn't seem to register it. Maybe that was a good thing. Pure adrenaline was all that was keeping me going now. As I got to my feet, Rhazar growled taking aim at me again but my attention had moved to behind him. The sound of glass cracking drained out all other noise in the room. He turned following my gaze and paled at the site of the giant green container looming over us, ready to shatter. He backed off to the side so he was at least out of its main path as it continued. Everyone aware of what was going on held their breath watching the fracture grow, but the explosion of mutagen didn't come.

I was so relieved that the glass didn't give way. I heard Donnie somewhere behind me saying about getting away from the tank...but I just seemed to be in a daze...my arm pulsing as though my heart had moved from my chest to live in my shoulder instead. And it was so hot... hot crimson running down my front... was that all mine? Everything was spinning. It was hard to hear the shouting around me...what were they saying? _'Move...? Oh right the tank...and Rhazar!'_ He was already turning his attention back toward me. Approaching fast and yet I didn't know which way to turn as my head seemed to be turning everywhere at once... _'Raph! Where did he come from?'_

He had dived between us heading the towering bone head off. I was grateful. I don't think I could take another blow right now.

While my hot headed brother was distracting him, I suddenly felt much smaller hands taking hold of me. I jumped from surprise. "Whoa, Leo. Its alright, its just me." Donnie's calming voice reached my ears as he led me away from the fight. Relief washed over me as we went towards a stack up of crates and he sat me down against them.

"Just hold on bro...Stay still" he said quickly looking over my wound... He sounded really concerned... oh that was bad. Donnie concerned.

"Don't think I can do much else bro... Everything won't stop moving."

"Your in shock. Blood loss will do that to you." He said in his normal witty Donnie like tone, only without his gap tooth smile to go with it. Oh this was really bad and yet I couldn't find it in me to worry about it right now. I was more worried about what was going on around me. Turning, I scanned the room as quick as my swimming head could handle.

Pieces of foot bots were scattered around, Mikey was occupied by Tiger Claw. Baxter was shouting in dismay at his lab going up in flames as the fire covered half of the lab. Splinter was now locked in combat with Shredder... but... no big snake! "Where's Karai?" I asked.

"She took off when the fire started. I think she has the right idea."

"We have to find her!" I protested.

"You can't do anything right now." He snapped in clear medic mode. "We can track her later. We have to get you out of here right now. In case you haven't notice there's a bit of a fire going. One of the damn foot bots blew up near some gasoline can." He said without taking his eyes off my shoulder. It was obvious he didn't want to touch it. Heck, I didn't want him to touch it. But I was still hemorrhaging... and little stars were popping in my eyes. I was sure any moment I was going to pass out.

"How bad...?" I saw the look in his eyes before he answered in that calm tone he liked to use when his control was on the verge of slipping from him. "The amount of blood your losing, I would say Shredder sliced through a few arteries. I can't stop the bleeding. Not here. We need to get you home. Its in too deep. There is muscle damage, but we don't want to make it worse."

"Great. Just great. How could this have all gone so wrong so fast?" Donnie didn't answer but I expected him not to. I held my breath as he attempted to pinch the edge of one of the broken blades, but his fingers slipped causing it to shift in my muscle. I think... am not sure, but I felt my body convulse as the pain rippled through me.

"Shell! This is going to take some major surgery." Donnie muttered, more to himself than me. I could only gasp as I tried to wait out the waves of pain but I noticed his hand was covered in my blood as he withdrew. "I'm sorry Leo, I can't pull them out yet... You'll bleed to death."

"Am... am b-bleeding anyway?"

He shook his head. "Its too deep, but if I try to put pressure on it, the blades will only cause more damage." There was a pause as the fact hung in the air. If it stays in, it cuts through me more and I bleed to death. But if he tries to get it out, I still bleed to death.

"Gee Don l-let's not sugar...c-coat t-this." I said trying to smile but failed miserably. By now my younger brother was even more worried. He took off his mask and with caution, he wrapped it around the blades before hoisting up my arm and tying it off into a sling. It hurt like hell and was saturated within seconds but it was something.

"You're going to be okay Leo, I promise." He said very over-comforting. "Take some deep breaths, it'll help." Taking his advice, the room had stopped moving to my relief. Guess he could see how much I was out of it.

"Oh good. For a moment there I was worried you said I was dying or something." I tried forcing out a laugh but it faded into a tight wince at the prompt tugging near my lung. His body stiffened before he leaned over to gently test the wrapping.

 _'Oh why did I try to be funny? I can't even think clearly right now so what makes me think I can pull off funny like Mikey or sarcastic like Donnie.'_

Done with the wrapping, Donnie started glancing around the room. I think he was working on the best route out. We couldn't wait any more. The air was getting thicker with smoke and it was already hard to breathe. So glad in times like this I could rely on Donnie to take over. I would have us retreating by now... He was about to speak when Raph appeared at our side. He was holding my katanas!

Laying my swords next to me, he stated "Not that Im not enjoying this, but the point of this trip has slithered her way out the door, so think we should follow -" He cut himself off looking over my half hacked off arm. I didn't know which was burning me more, my wound or his gaze. "Donnie, why the hell haven't ya gotten the blades outta him yet?"

He reached toward me ready to simply yank them, but Donnie slapped his hand away before going on a ranting lecture that I was barely coherent enough to understand. Words like subclavian and axillary were been tossed around... I really just wanted to pass out right now.

But while Donnie and Raph were arguing the best ways of getting me out without further damage, little flecks in the air behind them caught my eye. Looking upward, my eyes widen. The ceiling above us was starting to crumble. Tracing the vein-like cracks, a huge chunk was missing and more were breaking loose. A piece fell between Mikey and Tiger Claw.

Both jumped backward but Mikey went into the path of another chunk. He fell on his plastron, stunned. Tiger took the chance to leave. On his way out, I saw him picking Mikey up like a rag doll and toss him quite unforgiving across the room. He smashed against the wall before crumbling down in a heap. He wasn't moving...

"Mikey!" I yelled. Both Raph and Don turn following my panicked gaze. But father was already at his side, scooping him up safe in his arms and away from the growing flames.

He was just about to make his way towards us when burning scaffolding fell between us. Not much but enough so he couldn't get to us. "My sons!" He shouted over the flames. "We must go." We heard him call from across the room. Donnie gave him a thumbs up before turning back to me.

"Feel like ya can walk out?"

"I don't think so... I feel heavy all over." It took a second before I realized Raph was crouching down in front of me, looking me in the eye.

"Hey, no falling asleep! Ya got that?" My eyes must've slid close again. I jolted when my face started stinging.

"Its the blood loss. He's lost so much..." I didn't hear anything else that was said until Raph slapped me again. "Leo, try taking more deep breaths." When his words reached my ears, I focused on the steady in and out. Though it was hard doing so with the movement making my lung feel like it was rubbing metal. Still, my surroundings got clearer.

Alert enough that I felt like I could move, I simply looked up at Donnie and nodded. It took a few seconds but he must've been reassured enough to smile. I had just grasped his outstretched hand and got pulled to my feet when he was sent flying into me, knocking both of us down and shattering the crates I was resting against.

I landed smack on my injured shoulder with Donnie on top of me. My immediate cry filling the air, he wasted no time in climbing off. I knew he was fussing over me even more but my eyes were squeezed shut from the surge of pain, like I had just crashed and busted my side. I had to lay there still for a minute just waiting for it to ease.

Finally opening my eyes, I could see anger filling his face as he looked every portion of me over. There was no question that he wasn't happy with how my shoulder could've been damaged further. What he didn't know was that it was... Instead of the sharp ache earlier, each breath felt like knives piercing my side. To hide it though, I didn't hesitate on pushing myself upright. But his glare deepened before his face softened a little.

Another cry ripped through the air. We turned our heads only to see Rhazar pinning Raph's arm behind his back.

Raph was trying to pull his arm free but Rhazar just ignored the struggling, his clawed hand holding firm. Bo staff in hand, Donnie took off rushing toward them. Jutting out his staff, he was about to jab Rhazar in the neck when the tip was knocked off course.

Rhazar had grabbed the end with his other massive hand. Swinging it hard, he whacked the staff against Donnie's arm. The impact flung him across the room.

Not far from us, flames shot across the room in a line with Donnie on the other side.

Toward my face, Rhazar declared "Don't think I forgot about you." With his focus on me, he didn't realize his grip had loosened some. It gave Raph the chance he needed.

"Your not touching him!" Raph snarled out. Flipping his body and twisting in the air, he nailed a spinning hook against Rhazar, dazing him enough to fall on his back. The moment didn't last long though. Raph had pushed off his chest when bony fingers snatched his wrist, throwing my brother over his head and into the flames.

"Raph! No!"

My brothers out of the way, he approached me grinning ear to ear. "Your next." I looked back at him with my eyes narrowed.

I tried pulling myself to my feet but he swiped his claws against my shins, leaving behind three stinging marks on each leg. Blood seeping out of each. My head started pounding from the pain and I'm pretty sure it would've continued building. That is if not for Rhazar kicking me. When he did, my head hurt from hitting the concrete but I could also feel my thoughts getting clearer.

"Thanks for the boost." It caught him by surprise long enough for me to slip my right hand around the hilt of one of my katana. I used the second burst of adrenaline in me to slide under and past him, arcing my sword through his back before springing back up a few feet away. Rhazar shrieking out in pain, I turned to look for my brothers. I let out a sigh of relief that they were alright and getting up. Raph started running toward a weak point in the flames to jump across but it was too late.

As if someone decided to kick-start the fiery row at that moment, the flames thickened and spread out on both sides, further pushing us back from each other. Donnie was looking around for a way for them to get across safely when his eyes widened. In the next moment, pain laced back through my body as Donnie's bloodied mask drifted down to the ground, all slashed up. Rhazar had taken the opportunity provided from the fire cascading toward us to again swipe his claws at me, but this time across my left upper arm and the back side of my shoulder.

Forced to drop my sword, my hand shot up to keep my shoulder steady despite the uncontrollable shuddering racking my body. Earlier the blood only streamed out, now my arm was drenched in blood and starting to pool around me as more was pouring out like a river. My head leaning down, I saw that Donnie's mask nearly blended in with my blood. It wasn't long before the dizziness set in again from all the blood loss. I could feel I wasn't far from death. Looking back across the flames, both of them were crying out my name. Donnie's eyes were filled with sorrow and regret while Raph's held pain and anger. Their eyes shifted to behind my and they screamed. I spun around but the dizziness took its toll. I nearly collapsed, falling into Rhazar's grasp. He sent me flying back into the pile of busted crates. I didn't have the strength to scream, let alone get back up.

Knowing my brothers couldn't get to him, he took his time grabbing a board from the pile I was laying on. I watched him walk over to the flames, light it and walk around the pile lighting up more wood before tossing it on top of me. Though the wood was holding me down, I could feel the heat growing around me. Everything above me was on fire and my skin then started to burn along with it. At that point, even Donnie was screaming death threats at Rhazar, but I couldn't hear him for long. Roaring filled my ears. It was a moment before I realized part of the roaring was screaming and that screaming was me! How I still was managing to scream, I have no idea. Above I saw the ceiling. Almost in slow motion it was coming down. Coming down on me...! I was gonna be crushed as well as burning alive...

The last thought I had was of my family before darkness enveloped me.

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 **A/N : Don't have a medical degree or anything but tried getting the anatomy details as close as I could.**


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